BYOD - does B stand for Bicycle?

In April of 2014, the SSPI of California challenged schools to with the statement “no child left offline” and that all students and teachers would have access to a electronic device that would connect them to the internet. How in the world can this happen many ask.  One possible solution is BYOD. For some that is BYO-What? Let me explain.

Over the past few months I have participated in several organized cycling events. Think people riding bikes for a common cause (no ‘b’ does not = bikes). One was to raise money for diabetes in Solano County and the other was for a similar cause and took us all the way around Lake Tahoe called Tour de Tahoe.  In both events, a group of people got together and rode for a cause, for fitness and for fun.  It was an organized time on the roads with mutual respect for the cars that were also on the roads. At the end of the day we all celebrated a time well spent, soreness and shared stories of the day. 

BYOD or Bring your own device relating to schools and electronic devices is a very similar exercise or experience.   BYOD is about the experience and not about the device. There were expensive and cheap bikes, and there was also people with lots of experience and some who looked like they just jumped on their bikes.  Like in the BYOD experience, those who are novice have a harder time sometimes than those who are “inshape” but other than a note at registration, there were no announcement on “how to get around the lake”, “how to ride a bike”, “how to put your helmet on”, etc. Everyone knew they were going around the lake and that was all that was thought of it.  There was minor “scaffolding” for those who wanted a shorter route and took a shuttle to the midway about 2 hrs after everyone else left, but all finished together and celebrated as they did!

BYOD in education is bringing something that lets you access the electronic world.  BYOD in the cycling event was our bicycle. Just as was the case riding around Lake Tahoe, the devices vary like the bicycles do. As was mentioned, some bikes were very expensive and some were not. Some even were built different, in a sitting up fashion, tandem, or even the gentlemen who “pedaled" the around the lake with his arms instead of his legs. An important link with that was he had a partner who rode with him to make sure he was seen the whole way since he was only about 6 inches off the road surface. BYOD works best when you have a friend!  One Difference though is that for equity sake there should have been bikes to borrow for those that didn’t have any if it were to be a real mirror to what is needed in schools. If students don’t have a device, they need to be able to check one out like we used to check our biology books in 10th grade but put those paper bag covers on them because if they get messed up we will have to pay for them just like all of us did when we borrowed them!

Finally, this experience was successful because it was organized in that it was coordinated. Everyone knew the cyclists would be out there. There were rest stops and SAG (or Support and Gear) vehicles to help give worn out cyclists a ride when needed. BYOD in schools does the same thing when there is solid wifi or connections, good solid policy to keep everyone safe and allow students and educators to complete their tasks and Communicate, Create, and collaborate like they do when they are outside the doors of their school.

Looking back on these events, the same things made them successful as what make BYOD in schools successful. Organization and planning kept us all safe. Support (and SAG/Scaffolding) helped everyone finish. And it finally remember it is about the journey, not the device and the journey or trip around the lake is always more fun and safer with a friend.

What is your BYOD story?

When winning isn't enough

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As 2014 draws to an end, schools are reaching half time in the 14/15 school year. This last Sunday of the year I watched the San Francisco 49ers win their last game of the year and then bid farewell to a coach who has posted a winning record over the past 4 years. Twitter blew up with comments like “what are they thinking?”, “Winning isn’t enough?!?”, and those are the nicer comments. It made me think and re-write this blog post. 

What if winning isn’t enough. In 4 years, it’s not ok just win and never fail? It all boiled down to relationships. From what I read, they just couldn’t get along. This something that is instilled in students early on. “Learn to get along and play nice”. What does that look like today? 

There are four things to try so you don’t end up in the situation that the 49ers are in. Look for new ways to Curate, Create, Communicate and Collaborate.

                                                        

First Curate. There is so much out there today and so much content. As a school leader or leader anywhere, no one has time to read everything. Also, you don’t want a censored feed delivered. Two of my favorite curated content providers are Zite (now Flipboard) on my mobile/tablet and paper.li on the computer (emailed or tweeted). Only recently have I started tapping all that is available with my Amazon Prime with Amazon music and Amazon movies.

Look for new ways to create and share content with those in around you. This one is wide open. With a camera (both still and video), recorder, and so many new apps/tools released every day, the possibilities are endless. Personally, the Neato app that integrates as a widget on my iPhone is a goto. My family got me a gopro camera and I’m starting to use it to capture life. My daughter is a senior in high school and she is documenting her final year with her own yearbook using the ComicBook! app and the bringing back vintage with the Polaroid app. Don’t forget Augmented reality apps like Aurasma to create 4D. Or how about starting to asking questions that must be answered with video and students can work together and to record then post the video to your youtube channel.

Communicate. It seems like we almost can communicate to much now but it’s a glass half full or half empty view. Like no other time in history this is also wide open. Start where we are and lets see what else we can do! Use Cel.ly, Remind or Twitter to connect with others. Don’t forget classic channels. We sent out a few printed Christmas Cards and letters to those we care about to those not in the digital world (actually my smart wife did, i just printed them). There were some tablets, and other mobile devices that were under the tree. Find a way to communicate with those around you using them so that they are a asset and not a hinderance. If you wonder how many devices are in your school or in your district, go sit on a bench during passing period or at lunch on a campus near you and just be a “fly on the wall” watching what comes out of backpacks/pockets as students/teachers move around the campus. How can these assets be tapped instead of banned?

Finally Collaborate. How can this be fostered? What is the difference between collaborating and cheating? Let’s be honest that is a question that many struggle with. It needs to be answered though and a way to do just that is to start just that. Back to the create/communicate question but start small with something even like google present and have everyone create a collaborative present slideshow. What is your favorite Collaborate tool/app?

There are many things up in the air right now with school funding, changes in staff with retirements and any number of other forces but we are 1/2 time for the class of 2015 and they will gradate in June and a whole new class of seniors will start in the fall as well as a whole new class of kindergartners with backpacks larger than they are walking in. The time is now... it’s not just good enough to win, we also have to get along!

P.S. Share your favorite tools in the comments!

Innovation Day - letting go the steering wheel

Daniel Pink talks about the three things that motivate: Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose1 (Check out this RSA Animate version of his talk)

Schools have long focused on Mastery, but what about giving students the autonomy to develop and follow their own purpose?  In the days, when the stakes are so high, how can this even be possible?  Two words, Innovation Day.

The idea came from a #140edu talk that Josh Stumpenhorst (@stumpteacher)
did describing his own schools version. If you have 15 minutes, take a look at it below.



A local middle school saw the idea and Innovation Day at Crystal Middle School was born. After spring break the idea started to grow and the day was scheduled.  Staff shared the idea with students using this 15 minute video to instigate ideas and creativity.




I was lucky to be able to spend a few hours there at the school to see projects in action. I didn't know really who had video clearance so that's why you don't see too many faces.  This first video is snapshots of the engineering room. (I used vine to shoot these videos on the spot...how to use vine...that's a whole other post)




Here are more shots from the engineering room





This room had students using various technology to create videos, presentations, etc. 



If you notice the young lady working on the video, you can see the finished product below!

 

There were three other students in that room who were filming and editing a video on a smart phone.

One brave teacher hosted the music room. While this video is choppy, the student on the left was the only one who knew how to play at the start of the day (2 hrs earlier) and he was teaching the other two students "Stairway to heaven".




The day went something like this. The students started off in their home rooms, then were sent to the different work rooms you see in the video's above.  Students all had PE during the day and all students were out at lunch instead of a split lunch.  Incidentally, there were zero issues during lunch as well as the whole day (usually at least 1 or 2 students have to visit with the principal each day). At the end of the day, students shared their projects with their home room.  

Crystal Middle School plans another day this year. They have also share their resources with anyone who is interested. One of the new pieces added was a form to gather the student projects using a Google Form. Gathering, entering, and sorting the projects into workspaces was one of the most time consuming pieces of the project and the form will help streamline this process.

Thanks to the team for letting me watch in on the day. You should follow them on twitter! Kristen - @KristenWitt13, Shannon - @mrsbalthazor, Jonathan - @MrDunsworth, Josh - @TeachJDH and Cynthia- @CynthiaMerrick1

Making your statement - CCSS in Action?

Several months ago, this video was posted and made its way around the web:

Mr. Nicholas S. Selby, makes quite a statement!

It got me to thinking though. What makes this so catchy? Even more than that, how is he showcasing the Common Core State Standards? I looked and came up with these two:

• "ELA Writing 2 “Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.” (Grade 8 example)
• ELA Speaking/Listening 5 “Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.” (Grade 8 example) 

I asked on Twitter today (@gbelleau) and @hoosierphd responded

 

@gbelleau These come to mind: http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/11-12/4 … , http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/11-12/5 … , http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/11-12/6 … #ccsschat #edchat

This is one of the ones he proposed:

• Speaking/Listening 6 "Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate." (Grade 11-12 example)
  
  

We don't really think of why these sort of movies are fun and the videos go viral but I'd propose its because they are interesting, are appropriate to the audience and we certainly understand Mr. Shelby's point because he chose to add some music/soundtrack to his speech.

I am looking forward to when there are more examples of the CCSS in action in classes as students take control of their learning. If you have one, please share!

Safe Searching

I have a couple of graphics to share that were used in trainings recently!

As Always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

Five ways to engage students using their mobile devices

With the number of mobile devices quickly closing in on the number of people on the planet, many students are equipped with a device that actually has more capacity and capability than the one that took the US to the moon. The 4 C’s of the 21^st Century are Collaboration, Communication, Creativity and Critical Thinking. Most secondary students have the first three down.  They collaborate and plan their lives using their phones. They communicate with a vastly larger circle than the circles of their parents, grandparents and teachers. They exhibit creativity constantly as they find ways to utilize their mobile devices and phones exploring new ways to use an app to communicate and collaborate.  Many students need help with the last one: Critical Thinking. So the question is, how to move mobile devices from an annoyance to a tool.

First, Daily sign-ins.  This may not seem glamorous but if students know from the minute they walk in the door that they will need to be engaged, it will help set the tone.  Alice Keeler has a great template (http://www.alicekeeler.com/teachertech/2013/07/16/daily-feedback-to-students/) that can be copied and utilized with students.  Not only does this form “take roll”, it also incorporates the collection of the “sponge” or “warmup” activity and most importantly gets “Comments/Questions/Concerns/Compliments” daily.  Utilizing a link shortener is important (goo.gl, bit.ly or tinyurl.com) to make this accessible. Google’s solution (goo.gl) also creates a qr code automatically. QR or Quick Response codes are those square black/white matrix of squares that is a two-dimensional barcode.  Created by marketing for the automotive industry, they provide a quick link to any electronic document. Apps on all mobile platforms make scanning them quick and easy. The daily sign-in form is a Google form that automatically formats for both mobile, tablet and desktop viewers. Students without a mobile device could complete the form on a classroom computer. However, according to a recent survey, over ½ of secondary students have a smartphone and if the school has a wifi connection, the vast majority of students have a wifi enabled device like a ipod touch or other gaming tablet that could be used for the same purpose.  Many eReaders are also internet enabled.

Second, In Class BackChanneling or discussions. Backchanneling is a term used to describe real-time online discussions that take place alongside of a live activity or conference. A great example of this can be seen in this CNN news story (http://youtu.be/36QWcC0Y5rE).  By utilizing Twitter and allowing students to communicate using whatever device they have, the whole class is drawn into the discussion and even the most shy student is recognized for his insights and wisdom. Another tool that can be used for backchanneling is TodaysMeet which is easy to set up and is available to all devices on the web. A great feature is that the whole discussion can be downloaded or archived! Finally, since not all students have internet enabled devices but nearly every secondary student has a mobile device that can text, Cel.ly is a great solution for backchanneling since the discussion can take place as a text message (as does twitter).  The Cel.ly groups however are set up for the class and only members of the class can post responses a text messages.  Discussions are also archived in the system.

Third, Sharing information/handouts. Nearly all mobile devices have eReader capabilities because of the plethora of apps available.  From Google docs, to dropbox and evernote, sharing documents with students is simple and easy to do.  Most mobile devices also have built in “read it” capabilities that will automatically format the document. Many parents and other adults will say, “I don’t want to read my book on that small screen”, but it is important to remember that many students think otherwise. 

Fourth, Organizing Info for projects. Built in cameras make documenting learning and allows students to expand their creativity. Apps like Genius Scan can then convert quickly to portable doc format (.pdf) to be emailed to the instructor or uploaded to a system like Evernote, Dropbox, or Google Docs to collaborate on as a group. A little know feature of Evernote (even the free version) is that the program makes uploaded documents searchable, including handwritten documents. 

Fifth, Polling or quick quizzing. Technology make is so easy to quickly check for understanding. Expensive polling system are just that, expensive. For students with smart phones or situations where they can share, Socrative (www.socrative.com) is a great solution. The program has an app and is a solid build for the mobile platform. Students can take teacher driven quizzes where live results can be displayed on the screen or student driven quizzes so two students can enter their own personal responses using the same smartphone. Poll results are emailed to the teacher in a spreadsheet for easy import into a grading program. Polleverywhere (www.polleverywhere.com) also has a free educator version that adds the ability to text in responses. This is helpful for students who have phones with only texting capability. However if a teacher wants more functionality like being able to preview/approve responses or receive the poll results, a paid membership is required.  Cel.ly (www.cel.ly) brings these functionalities together with simple text polling available for classes. A premium paid membership with more robust features is available. 

Finally, as a bonus, Communications. Students communicate using their mobile devices. A classroom can also incorporate this communication. Remind101 and Cel.ly are two free, simple to use, teacher friendly, parent designed systems that strive to help teacher better facilitate communication. Remind 101 (www.remind101.com) is a one way messaging system. It is opt in, meaning a parent / student has to sign up. Most have now gone to a sporting event or concert where a message has popped up “text xxxxx to #### to join our text system and receive updates and specials!”  This is a similar system. Student’s and parents opt in for text message updates. These updates can be as simple as “Picture day Monday” or timely communications in the event of a crisis situation. An added bonus is that updates can be scheduled ahead of time. Instead of only weekly “notes home” most educators find that they now send out appx. 5 communications a week.  Remind101 messages can also be received via by email for parents who prefer that mode of communication.  Cel.ly (www.cel.ly) is a similar system. It allows for different forms of communications and teachers can change these settings as needed. The groups can be open communication (good for class discussions mentioned above yet with unfiltered messages), announcement only (for teacher to send or schedule to send messages), or curated (same as announcement but students/parents can respond and the teacher can choose to forward the message on to the whole group).  Like Remind101, Cel.ly is an opt in, text based service.  Both have Apps available for smartphones!

Mobile devices have really become the pencils of today. Students use them to write the notes, do their homework and creatively be a part of their learning.  Unlike the pencil though, they now have access to an almost endless supply of information. So as they are communicating, collaborating, and creating, the strategies discuss can help shift pedagogues so students can develop better critical thinking as they evaluate the endless supply of information.  This is not an inclusive list but rather a place to start.

Note: nearly 1 year ago I read this post (here) and it really started me on my journey that is described above.

I was thinking about STEM in the lower grades (PK-3) today and one of my co-workers asked about a 1 page resource that could be shared with parents and stakeholders.  I came up with this. What do you think?